MONTEGO BAY, St James – An incomplete file has delayed the case against Jowayne Gardener who was charged after he allegedly obtained more than $1.2 million that was unlawfully removed from a customer’s bank account.

Gardener made a brief appearance before the St James Parish Court on Monday to answer to 17 counts of receiving stolen property.

He is represented by attorney-at-law Suwayne Phillips.

When the case was called up for mention before presiding Parish Judge Kaysha Grant-Pryce, the court was informed that the case was not ready for trial due to the absence of a number of crucial documents.

As a result, the matter was rescheduled for May 31, and Gardener’s bail was extended.

According to court files, sometime in November 2022, the male complainant was depositing money into his business account at the Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) Santa Cruz branch in St Elizabeth when he noticed that his balance was significantly lower than it should have been.

Further checks by a supervisor at the bank yielded a printout that showed multiple transfers that the complainant was unaware of, to names he was unfamiliar with. Gardener’s name was on the list of recipients.

The second complainant, who is a joint holder of the account fleeced, was contacted and she stated that she had no knowledge of any of the transactions.

Following investigations numerous persons, including a friend of the accused, were named as persons of interest. The friend is believed to be the ultimate beneficiary of many of the transfers.

About 3:00 pm on November 10, 2022, Gardener was located at a call centre in Montego Bay and asked about the sum transferred to his account by his friend. He responded that the money was for forex trading.

When presented with a list of the transfers, Gardner stated that he couldn’t account for the funds his friend had transferred to his account.

A total of $1,245,483.61 is alleged to have been deposited into Gardener’s account.

To date, his friend has not been located.